Berlin, 9 March, 2018 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s annual ‘Thailand Networking Lunch’ on Friday, 9 March at CityCube Berlin – alongside Thailand’s participation at the ITB Berlin 2018 – featured more than 120 invited European tour operators and media members in attendance to hear Thailand’s latest tourism update and briefing on new tourism products and services highlighted under the Amazing Thailand’s latest ‘Open to the News Shades’ marketing concept.

Mr. Weerasak told those in attendance that Thailand’s tourism success story for 2017 was thanks to the cooperation between the stakeholders and local buyers in the Thai tourism industry.

‘We are very proud of the recent ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2018 in Chiang Mai last January. Thailand’s successful track record of hosting major tourism events continues and demand for travel in the Kingdom is at an all-time high.

“We are grateful for government measures, including its continued support for Thailand being a ‘Preferred Destination’ in 2018. This initiative is designed to focus on quality tourism and create sustainable tourism opportunities. These must also empower on the local level and distribute income evenly to reduce social disparity, strengthening our national tourism supply chain and truly encourage the development of community tourism for all,” Mr. Weerasak, said. (read his full speech here)

According to Mr. Tanes, TAT’s and Thailand’s hardworking private sector will continue to identify and develop products that appeal to both European leisure travellers and other important emerging market segments.

“Our current European market profile seeks to tap new potential segments including young executives, female travellers, students and quality leisure mainstream.

“We also want to penetrate new markets in Eastern Europe and North America by reiterating the positioning of Thailand as a luxury leisure destination and encourage traffic to second-tier cities.

“As we expand communication aspects of the TAT Amazing Thailand’s ‘Open to the New Shades’ campaign, we intend to offer literally millions of unique Thai local experiences and that showcase Thailand’s amazingly rich cultural diversity,” Mr. Tanes added. (Read his full speech here)

Last year, the Thai tourism industry recorded its highest revenue in its history achieving tourism receipts totalling 1.82 trillion Baht (US$ 53.76 billion), a 11.66% year-on-year increase, from 35.3 million international tourist arrivals (up 8.7%). Domestic tourism revenue also reached 695.5 billion Baht (US$ 20.5 billion) from 192.2 million trips. The positive results placed Thailand in the third place in global tourism revenue for 2017 by the United Nations’ World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).